Technical Field
This invention relates to a chimney device.
Each year, there are several hundred thousand chimney fires, with the major cause of dangerous chimney fires being the accumulation of creosote and soot. There are three types of creosote. Airtight stoves are heavy producers of creosote which in the form of a gas rises up the chimney and condenses on the flue at the point at which it has cooled to the 255.degree. F. temperature range. Such creosote condensate coats the flue with deposits whose build-up does not usually block the flue, but results in the flue opening or aperture becoming smaller. In a chimney fire, such creosote deposits burn and expand to a light-weight, crusty material two to three times original volume to block the flue partially or totally, or such crusty material slips down the flue and becomes lodged therein to block the flue. A chimney fire quickly reaches the temperature range of 1,500.degree. F. to 3,000.degree. F. causing the mortar to melt from between the joints of the masonry flues and causing disintegration of the clay flue tiles. Using water to extinguish a chimney fire results in rapid quenching with resultant damage to the clay tile liners.
The first embodiment of the invention significantly contributes to solving such discussed problems by unblocking the chimney flue even while a chimney fire is in progress without any resulting damage to the chimney flue. The second invention embodiment can be employed to clean the chimney thereafter of remaining creosote deposits and soot; or can be employed as a preventive measure to periodically clean the chimney flue of creosote deposits and soot so that there can be no subsequent chimney fire from creosote deposits and soot. Such second invention embodiment can also be used while the chimney is in operation. Significantly, the human operator, in operating either of the embodiments, does so while standing or positioning himself away from the chimney and thereby does not suffer smoke inhalation or injury to his eyes, face, hands or body by exposure to flames shooting up the chimney.
Accordingly, the object of the first embodiment is to provide a chimney device to unplug and remove creosote deposits and soot while the chimney is in operation, with even a roaring fire in such chimney; and the object of the second embodiment is to clean the flue of creosote deposits and soot. Either embodiment can be used and operated without injury to the human operator.